HOW IT BEGAN Kendall and Katie met at her good friend Nathan’s house. Over a crackling fireplace, Kendall heard a poised and rumbustious creature regaling friends on the fineries of 19th century stained glass; his interest piqued, they chatted, and Kendall took her number—but she warned him she was very, very busy. Nonetheless, Katie ensured Kendall had an invitation to a wine-tasting costume party later that month--her very favorite type of activity, she would confide--structured fun. He came bearing Glühwein, which evoked a blueberry Robitussin; nevertheless, Katie gazed back at him, mustaches askew, pocket watch glinting in her tweed bartender vest, as her wineglass slid into a campfire. He knew he had to get on her calendar. Later that week, during a work event for Kazakh Republic Day, in the romance of eating horsemeat jerky in a yurt--and also three Kazakh vodkas for the worse (or better?)--Kendall gained the courage to, more poetically than might be expected, text Katie to invite her on a date near their old familiar Church of the Resurrection on a Saturday. They would snag some bagels at Call Your Mother, and visit the United States Botanic Garden. The date spun along for hours. It wouldn’t have stopped, except Katie had a firm calendar appointment with her aunt (with whom she shared tales of this rather intriguing and attentive fellow). Regrets, and plans for a next date, were conveyed. HOW IT WENT Roasting lamb for a Passover supper, hosting a Pride and Prejudice watch party for the Rez youth, and orating Scriptures late til midnight for an Easter Vigil, Katie convinced Kendall of the selfless way she gave herself to her community—and drew Kendall into the very church where they met. Katie chased Kendall the best way she knew how—calendaring him into countless adventures, wandering Mount Vernon at night, encountering Shakespeare’s villains, touring Baltimore art museums and sipping hot cider by the campfires of friends. Those dear friends wished to test his mettle—to see if Kendall matched Katie’s ardent, intelligent, and passionate fidelity to her friends. And, Katie vows, he did—in the way he introduced her to the beauty of Arkansas while they chased a solar eclipse, as he shared his passion for engaging with everyone they met, and in how he pursued her with his kindness, his caring deeds, and his strong heart for the Lord. When Kendall met Katie’s parents, they surprised him—not with a gauntlet of suspicion, but by confiding in him that they had never seen Katie so happy and at peace. He then and there took stock that he was never quite so happy as he had been with her. Both sets of parents were quite pleased with the arrangement. To confess, the engagement couldn’t have come quickly enough. And when the time was ripe, Pastor Dan spoke the timeless words: "just get on with it." And they looked at each other and they said yes. And so they will. WHERE IT'S GOING Kendall and Katie are moving into Capitol Hill’s beautiful Northeast by a great big park in a beautiful 1920s apartment with a verdant magnolia by the window and a bright rooftop which will host many friends. They welcome you to join their joyful hootenanny at 2 o’clock on June 14th at Church of the Resurrection: details on this very website.